


Saying Goodbye

by Heavenly_Pearl



Series: Runaways [1]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Manga), Sailor Moon - All Media Types
Genre: Family Drama, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-09
Updated: 2012-04-09
Packaged: 2017-11-03 08:48:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/379513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heavenly_Pearl/pseuds/Heavenly_Pearl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Not wanting to be a burden to her large family any longer, Haruka decides to run away from home and pursue her dream of becoming a race car driver.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Saying Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: "Sailor Moon" is the property of Takeuchi Naoko.
> 
> AUTHOR'S NOTES: This was written for the sm_monthly community at Livejournal (Theme: Burden).

She was nothing but a burden to her family.

Her parents would never say as much, of course. Haruka knew they loved her, but it was just simple math. With seven mouths to feed on the combined salary of an unsuccessful jazz pianist/mechanic and an avant garde artist who _maybe_ sold one painting a month, if she was lucky, there just wasn't enough money to go around, not even with the extra earnings Haruka brought in from her racing.

It didn't help matters that in a few months she would be starting high school. Personally, she didn't care one way or the other if she continued with her studies or not. Haruka would have been perfectly happy quitting school and joining her father's auto shop as she pursued her dream of racing, but it had always been her father's dream for all of his kids to go to high school, something he had been unable to do, due to her mother's unplanned teenage pregnancy and the need to financially provide for his new family.

Sometimes, Haruka seriously thought it would have been better if she had never been born. If it wasn't for her, her parents would have been able to go on to high school, maybe even college, if they so wanted. Her father might have been able to seriously pursue a career in music, instead of just playing weekends at his friend's nightclub, and her mother could have studied to become an art teacher like she wanted before she got pregnant. They could have made something of themselves if it hadn't been for her.

One time when she was about twelve, while she was helping out at the shop after school, Haruka had told her father how she felt, how she blamed herself for the family's less-than-ideal financial situation. Tenoh Yoshiro was not one to lose his temper easily, but he had been furious when she confessed her true feelings. Haruka still remembered the hurt and anger in his voice as he yelled at her, telling her how he and her mother never once regretted the choices they had made in their lives, how happy she and her siblings made them. After that, she never mentioned it again, but his words did little to assuage her guilt.

That was why she threw herself so passionately into her racing. Haruka thought if she could contribute to the household funds, she would feel like less of a burden. It helped, a little, but her parents insisted on saving most of the money for her high school education, instead of using it to buy little Kasumi, her only sister, some actual girl's clothes, or buying a new couch for their living room to replace their old, ratty one. They only ever took enough of her money to get by, and even that had been a struggle.

 _Well, no longer_ , thought Haruka as she quietly packed her largest duffle bag, doing her best not to wake Kasumi, who was sleeping over in the next futon. If her parents refused to take her money to make a better life for the family, then she wouldn't give them a choice in the matter. She would not be a burden any more.

Opening the top drawer of her and Kasumi's shared dresser, Haruka pulled out the letter she received in the mail last week and looked at the return address. It was from a very wealthy racing aficionado, who was known for taking young, promising drivers under his wing, becoming their sponsor and mentor on their way to the top of the ranks. He had extended the invitation to Haruka, and, after a lot of serious thought, she had finally decided to take him up on the offer.

She did not discuss her decision with her family. She knew what would have happened if she had: her parents would have forbidden it, saying the Tenoh family did not accept charity, and her place was with her family.

So, Haruka was forced to sneak out in the middle of the night with only a couple of changes of clothes and a few treasured possessions, among them a picture of her family. She smiled sadly as she stuffed the letter in her back jeans pocket and reached for the lone picture frame sitting atop the dresser.

"Mama, Papa, Masuyo, Daiki, Kasumi, Takeshi…" As she whispered each one of their names, Haruka touched each of their faces in the photograph in turn. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'll miss you all, but this is something I have to do. It'll be better for everyone this way. Papa, I promise I'll go to high school somehow, so use my money and don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Just then, Haruka heard Kasumi mumble something in her sleep. She froze in place, hoping her little sister wouldn't wake up and ask what she was doing. Luckily, Kasumi soon settled back down into a peaceful sleep. With a sigh of relief, Haruka placed the picture in her bag, zipped the bag up, then kneeled down beside Kasumi's futon, pulling the thin blanket she had kicked away during the night back up to her shoulders.

"See ya, kiddo," she said in a soft voice before standing back up and throwing her duffel bag over her shoulder.

It was well after midnight, so everybody else in the apartment was already asleep. Haruka fought back the urge to open the door to the boys' room as she passed by, not wanting to risk waking one of her younger brothers up. Instead, with the stealth of a ninja, she made her way to the living room in the dark, swearing under her breath when she accidentally stepped on one of Daiki's cheap plastic toy soldiers, which he had forgotten to put away, with her bare foot.

Finally, she made it to the front door. Letting out a sigh of relief, Haruka sat down and felt around for her favorite pair of beaten-up sneakers among the line of shoes in front of the door.

"Where are they?" she muttered to herself, wishing she had at least turned on a lamp. "I can't see a damn thing!"

Almost like magic, the room suddenly filled with a bright light, startling Haruka. She turned around to find her mother Suzume standing beside the light switch, fifteen-month-old Takeshi in her arms. Her little brother, upon seeing Haruka, stretched out his arms and happily cooed, "Nee! Nee!"

Her mother frowned. "Haruka-chan, what are you doing out of bed so late?" she asked. "Tonight's a school night."

"Uhh…" Haruka stood back up, trying to think of a suitable excuse, but unable to do so.

It was too late anyway. Her mother had already seen her duffel bag.

"Oh, Haruka-chan…"

"Don't try to talk me out of leaving," Haruka said, her voice shaking slightly in spite her best efforts. "I have to do this. It's for the best."

"But why?" Her mother came closer, her eyes, full of confusion, roving to Haruka's stomach, which was mostly hidden by the bulky, hooded fleece pull-over she wore. "Are you pregnant?"

If the situation wasn't so serious, Haruka might have laughed at the suggestion. Her? Pregnant? She had never even kissed a guy! Not that she ever had the urge. Boys simply did not interest her like they did other girls her age.

"No, I'm not pregnant, Mama. I'm not you."

That had been a low blow, and Haruka immediately regretted it. She would not have blamed her mother in the least had she slapped her, and she even steeled herself for the stinging blow, but her mother only pursed her lips together, setting Takeshi down to crawl on the floor while they talked.

"Where do you plan to go?" her mother asked.

Silently, Haruka reached for the letter inside her back pocket and handed it to her mother to read.

"This man…wants to be your patron?"

Haruka nodded. "He's offered to pay for everything I need: my tuition, living expenses, traveling costs to races -"

"In exchange for what, Haruka?" her mother interrupted. "Your body?"

"Mama, it's not like that at all. He does this for a lot of young racers."

"What do you even know about this man?"

"I know that he's rich, and he wants to help me make it to the big time," Haruka snapped, snatching the letter out of her mother's hands. Then, realizing how rude she must have sounded, she sighed. "I'll be fine," she declared. "Don't worry about me anymore. Focus on the others." She looked over at Takeshi, who was happily playing with Daiki's toy soldier, the one she had stepped on as she tried to sneak out, and smiled. "Things will be better around here when I'm not around. One less mouth to feed."

"How can you even say that? We love you, and we -"

Before her mother could finish, Haruka held up her hand, signaling her to stop. "I know, Mama," she said, "and thank you, but I have to go. It's more than just the money; I feel like something's pushing me to leave. I don't know if it is fate, or destiny, or whatever, but I can't ignore it. I have to find it, whatever it is, and I can't do that here. Can't you understand?"

For a long moment, her mother didn't say a word. Haruka found herself holding her breath, though she wasn't exactly sure why. After what seemed like an eternity, however, her mother bridged the gap between them and embraced Haruka, surprising her.

"Be happy, my Haruka-chan," her mother whispered. "That's all I ever wanted for you, and if you truly believe you can find that happiness somewhere else, then go with my blessings. But remember, no matter who you become, whether it's an F1 champion driver, a janitor, or something else entirely, your family will always love you."

"Mama…"

Haruka stayed in her mother's warm arms for a moment longer, then finally pulled away. She saw sadness in her mother's eyes, but there was something else, too - pride. Haruka smiled, and, after putting on her shoes and grabbing her duffle bag, she turned to leave.

"Good-bye, Mama," she said as she walked out the door, the cool night breeze ruffling her hair.

Good-bye, old life.

Hello, new.


End file.
